Wilderness science summary and synthesis: lessons of the past and prospects for the future

Background/Question/Methods

Under the 1964 Wilderness Act, over 44 million ha of land have been set aside where, at least in principle, “the Earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man is a visitor who does not remain.”  At the time of its passage, many hoped these lands would be a “control”, a standard for comparison against which we could evaluate the impacts of human activities elsewhere.  What has research in wilderness areas over the past 5 decades contributed to our understanding of the role of natural disturbance in the functioning of ecosystems, of the importance of top predators to the diversity of entire food webs, and of the challenges in restoring that diversity once it is lost? 

Results/Conclusions

Research results demonstrate that the dream of an “untrammeled” control was far too optimistic.  Wilderness areas are still influenced by the inertia of human actions on them prior to their dedication.  And no matter their size and shape, even when humans are physically absent, wilderness landscapes are inexorably hitched to the human-dominated landscapes that surround them.   The impacts of invasive nonnative species, barriers to migration, climate change, and even our efforts to protect them present significant challenges to their management.  Still, wilderness areas are the closest thing to wild that we can achieve and they have much more to teach us about nature and our impacts on it.  They remain a powerful reminder of the fact that Earth’s ecosystems can function beautifully in our absence.